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In worship, you will be our respected and welcomed
guest.
Our stewards will greet you, and try to meet your every need. They will
give you a worship bulletin and you may sit wherever you are most
comfortable.
As you enter our sanctuary, you will experience an atmosphere of beauty
and reverence. Episcopal churches are built in many architectural
styles; but large or small, elaborate or plain, your eye will be drawn
to the altar and historical stained glass windows. Your emotions and
thoughts will be taken at once to God in this ambiance of holiness.
We observe the traditional Christian worship seasons - Advent, The
Twelve Days of Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.
Our sanctuary allows you to experience many worship arts, particularly
the radiant colors of these changing holy seasons in which time is
sanctified.
It is the custom upon entering the church to kneel for a prayer of
personal preparation for worship and to avoid excessive conversation.
In many churches it is also the custom to bow when entering and leaving
the pew. This is an act of respect and reverence for the saving work
of Christ and the sovereignty of God.
Standing before the pews, there is a lectern and a pulpit.
All Saints' worship involves the congregation. In the pews, you will
find the Book of Common Prayer, the use of which enables the
congregation to share fully in worship. We also have Bibles in the
pews for study and reflection.
You may wonder when to stand, sit, and kneel. A general rule is that
we stand to sing, to say the Creed and for the reading of the Gospel.
We sit during anthems, readings of the Bible, and the sermon. We kneel
for prayer to show our gratefulness to God for accepting us as His
children and as an act of humility before God.
Our main worship is the Holy Eucharist, which means 'thanksgiving',
thus the central focus of Episcopal worship is the altar, the saving
work of Christ.
While parts of the service are always the same, others change. At
Holy Eucharist, for example, two Bible selections are read. These
change each Sunday, as do the psalms. Certain prayers also change
according to the worship season. Page numbers for parts of the
service are printed in the worship bulletin you receive from the
steward.
At the end of worship, some people kneel for personal prayer before
leaving. Others sometimes sit to listen to the organ postlude, which
is quite beautiful and inspiring.
Following the service, the clergy will greet you as you depart. Be
sure to let them know if you are a guest. Refreshments are served at
the entrance and we also have a Welcome Wagon in the Parish Hall. |
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